Page 51 of Possession

My body trembles against the wall as the man stares up at me, then he leans forward and spits at my feet, causing me to grimace while I edge away from him.

The moonlight catches onto something shiny, and I realize Rafael has flicked open a blade, and my breathing stutters as I watch motionless. Then, before the man can blink and I can warn him, Rafael surges the blade into the side of his face. The horror of the action spills from the man in an almighty wail as he scrambles against Rafael’s hold.

A pain lances through my chest and I feel like I’m on the brink of a panic attack as copper fills my senses, but it’s Rafael’s maniacal laughter that sends me over the edge, the insanity behind it hard to comprehend.

This is different from a bullet. This is pure torture, for enjoyment, and it is too much.

Rafael’s shirt tightens against his shoulders, then he twists the man’s head sharply to the side. The crack of his neck rings out in my ears while my mind plays catch-up on what just happened.

He killed him.

Holy shit, he killed him like a savage. Like a Mafia man.

The thud of his body hitting the ground confirms it. My mind races, begging me to run, warning me I’m in too deep, that I’m in danger.

He killed him.

I swallow back the nerves as I step away from the wall, and Rafael lifts his head, his mask covering his emotions. He moves to step over the body, yet I move quicker. With the target of the forest in sight and my pulse quickening with adrenaline, I rush across the lawn toward the tree line.

Rafael’s loud, demonic laughter fills my ears. “You can run, Little Doll, but Daddy will always find you,” he bellows across the open space, encouraging me to quicken my pace, and a surge of horror and alarm spurs me on.

This is all too much. I need to get out of here.

He killed him. He took his life with such brutality that sickness waves through me with each step.

Terror floods me when I hear his footfalls behind me, and I thank God I took gym class until the end of my schooling.

Reaching the forest, I hesitate briefly.

“Don’t you fucking dare!” he roars, his voice edging closer.

Instead of listening, I dash into the darkness, ignoring the branches snapping beneath my feet and the thorns catching my legs.

My bloodstream pumps with fear and desperation as I head deeper into the darkness. The whooshing noise in my ears means it’s easy for me to block out the sounds surrounding me. The only ones I’m concerned with are the crunching of his shoes as he moves at a much slower pace than me.

“Little Doll...” he taunts, adding to my anxiety. “Daddy’s going to punish that ass, Little Doll.”

There’s not one sliver of his tone etched with anger, concern, or guilt, and while that shouldn’t infuriate me, it does. He thinks this is a game, that me running is a game.

Am I a game to him?

A sob erupts from deep within me and the crunching stops, causing me to pause and glance around in the dark.

Neon lights flicker briefly on and off, his mask illuminating as he calmly walks toward me. Then it switches off. My heart feels like it’s going to combust as I slowly edge away from the shadow of a tree.

It flickers on again, closer, and I don’t know whether he can see me or not, but I know he can sense me at the very least, just like I sense him.

The lights flicker off again, causing anxiety to course through me.

The wind howls, the trees sway, and the leaves rustle, adding to the chilling sensation creeping over me.

A branch snaps, and my heart leaps as terror slivers through me.

I scan the forest, the ominous darkness bringing with it a warning of danger. I want to scream and cry, yet I find myself frozen. My eyes flick from side to side; do I run, do I go farther into the forest, into the unknown?

The crosses of his eyes illuminate once again, and I squeeze my eyes shut as fear renders me powerless, and when I finally open them, it’s to nothing but darkness and a longing of disappointment, which have me whimpering with a need for him to comfort me.

“Shhh, Little Doll.”

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